WHAT IS THE EFQM MODEL?
A STRUCTURED WAY TO UNDERSTAND, MANAGE AND IMPROVE YOUR ORGANISATION
The EFQM Model is a globally recognised management model that helps organisations understand how well they are working today and where they can improve for the future.
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Used by organisations across different sectors and countries for more than 30 years, the Model provides a structured way to look at the organisation as a whole — connecting its purpose and strategy with its people, culture, stakeholders, activities and results.
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EFQM is not a set of fixed procedures telling every organisation how it should operate. Instead, it helps organisations ask the right questions about themselves, recognise what they already do well and identify where change or improvement can create greater value.
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This makes the EFQM Model relevant to organisations of different sizes and sectors — including universities and educational institutions, businesses, public organisations and non-profit organisations.
THREE SIMPLE QUESTIONS.
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ONE VIEW OF YOUR ORGANISATION.
WHY USE
THE EFQM MODEL?
BECAUSE IMPROVEMENT STARTS WITH UNDERSTANDING YOUR ORGANISATION.
The logic behind the EFQM Model starts with three fundamental questions:
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WHY?
Direction
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Why does our organisation exist, what do we want to achieve and where are we going?
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This means understanding the organisation's purpose, vision and strategy, as well as the needs and expectations of the people and stakeholders connected with it.
Direction creates a shared understanding of what matters and where the organisation wants to go.
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HOW?
Execution
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How do we turn our purpose and strategy into practice?
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This is where people, organisational culture, leadership, stakeholders and the way the organisation operates come together.
The question is not only whether plans exist, but whether the organisation has the people, practices and capabilities needed to make them happen.
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WHAT?
Results
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What are we achieving today — and what do we want to achieve tomorrow?
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Results help the organisation understand whether its direction and activities are actually creating the intended value.
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By following performance, stakeholder perceptions and other relevant results, organisations can learn what is working, recognise where expectations are not being met and decide what needs to improve.
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DIRECTION → EXECUTION → RESULTS
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Together, these three dimensions provide a structured picture of where the organisation is going, how it works and what it achieves.
The EFQM Model gives organisations a structured way to step away from everyday activities and look at themselves from a wider organisational point of view.
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It can help you:
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UNDERSTAND YOUR ORGANISATION
Develop a shared picture of how your organisation works and how its different parts connect.
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RECOGNISE YOUR STRENGTHS
Identify practices and capabilities that already create value and should be maintained or developed further.
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IDENTIFY WHERE TO IMPROVE
Find areas where changes could strengthen organisational performance and future readiness.
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ENGAGE YOUR PEOPLE
Create shared understanding and involve people in assessing and improving the organisation.
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CONNECT STRATEGY WITH PRACTICE
Examine whether purpose and strategy are reflected in the way the organisation actually operates.
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BUILD CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Use assessment, evidence and learning to make improvement an ongoing organisational practice.
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PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE
Strengthen the organisation's ability to respond to change, manage risks and build sustainable performance.
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The EFQM Model can therefore be used for much more than achieving external recognition. Organisations use it to understand organisational maturity, build improvement capability, benchmark performance, support transformation, strengthen resilience and sustainability, and prepare for external assessment and EFQM Recognition.
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Recognition can be a destination.
Improvement is the real purpose.
